TRAVELLERS camping at the former site of the Whitehill Club for almost a month left willingly this week. The encampment of eight families, each with a trailer and car, had sparked concern among residents and prompted the district council to consider legal action against the trustees of the club as the private landowner. The trustees and travellers were told, last week, by East Hampshire District Council's Environmental project manager, Patricia Hughes, that the council might consider the camp an illegal change of land use if it was still there after 28 days. Police have confirmed that the site has been vacated, but there may now be another wrangle between the council and the landowner over a noticeable amount of rubbish left behind, as well as two disused caravans. Mrs Hughes reiterated on Tuesday that the clearance of rubbish was the sole responsibility of the landowner, and added the council would be in touch with the club's trustees to make sure this was carried out. She did not rule out the possibility of some form of action being taken to enforce rubbish removal if necessary, but said there were several council departments which could have an interest in the state of the land, and the best course of action would need to be decided. She also revealed that the club was in talks with police about securing the site to keep out travellers in future. Town councillor Adam Carew, whose Whitehill Walldown ward encompasses the A325 site south of the town, said the fact the travellers had moved on was a "great relief to all concerned". But he highlighted the difficulties the Whitehill Club had faced since the site was abandoned after a clubhouse fire in 2000, as part of a request to the district council for help to tidy the land. Mr Carew also hoped the situation would encourage the council to act "sooner rather than later" to provide a legally designated, short-stay travellers site in the district after an announcement last month that this proposal would be postponed.
